Bidding process overlooked in Eugene’s 2021 award

The US will stage the world athletics championships for the first time after Eugene was surprisingly named as the 2021 host after the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Council decided to bypass the usual bidding process.

Eugene, the second largest city in the state of Oregon, lost out to Doha for the right to host the 2019 championships at a secret ballot held in Monaco earlier this year.

My Council colleagues understood the enormous opportunity presented to us to access a key market and have taken a decision in the interest of the global development of our sport

by Lamine Diack, IAAF President

IAAF President Lamine Diack said the decision to skip the normal bidding process had been made after the sport’s world governing body had heard submissions from the governor of Oregon, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and television broadcaster NBC about the benefits of taking the championships to the US.

“In granting the championships to Eugene, the IAAF Council have made a clear choice on a strategic decision that enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity that may never arise again, whereby public authorities, the private sector, the national Olympic Committee, NBC and a particularly enthusiastic public are joining forces,” Diack said.

“Although this decision departs from the usual procedure, I am delighted that my Council colleagues understood the enormous opportunity presented to us to access a key market and have taken a decision in the interest of the global development of our sport.”

The IAAF added it was not the first time the world championships had been awarded to a city without a full bidding process, saying the most recent case was to award the 2007 event to Osaka, Japan.

The world championships, currently held every two years, were first conducted in Helsinki in 1983. Beijing will host the championships this year with the next edition to be held in London in 2017.